Wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy

Wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy

Date	24 April 1963
Venue	Westminster Abbey
Location	London, England
Participants	Princess Alexandra of Kent Angus Ogilvy

The wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy took place on Wednesday, 24 April 1963 at Westminster Abbey. Princess Alexandra is the only daughter and second child of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, while the Hon. Angus Ogilvy was the second son and fifth child of the 12th Earl of Airlie and Lady Alexandra Coke.

Engagement[]

The engagement of Princess Alexandra of Kent to The Hon. Angus Ogilvy was announced on 19 November 1962.^[1] Ogilvy presented Alexandra with an engagement ring made of a cabochon sapphire set in gold and surrounded by diamonds on both sides.^[2] The Queen gave her consent to the union on 19 December 1962.^[3]

The night before the wedding, a white-tie ball for 2000 guests was held at Windsor Castle.^{[citation needed]}

Wedding[]

The service was conducted by The Very Rev. Eric Abbott, Dean of Westminster and The Most Rev. and Rt Hon. Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury.^[4] It followed the traditional wedding service according to the Book of Common Prayer.

After the service, the newlyweds travelled in the glass coach to St. James's Palace for the wedding breakfast. The couple honeymooned at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate.

Music[]

Prior to the service, the organist of the Abbey played pieces by J.S. Bach, G.F. Handel, Herbert Howells, and William Henry Harris. Princess Alexandra walked down the aisle on the arm of her brother, The Duke of Kent, to the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy. Throughout the service, the hymns God be in my head, and in my understanding and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling were sung. The National Anthem was sung, and during the signing of the register, anthems by Christopher Tye, Thomas Weelkes, and G.F. Handel were sung. The newlywed couple recessed to Widor's "Toccata" from Symphony for Organ No. 5 and Walton's Crown Imperial.^[4]

Clothing[]

The bride wore a wedding dress of Valenciennes lace, with matching veil and train, designed by John Cavanagh.^[5] The lace had to be made in France, with special customs arrangements being made so that the press was not notified of its arrival in Britain. The wedding dress included a piece of lace from the bride's late grandmother, Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, and the veil worn by Lady Patricia Ramsey at her own wedding in 1919. She wore the diamond fringe tiara given to her mother by the City of London as a wedding gift in 1934. The bridegroom wore morning dress.

The Queen wore an eau-de-nil dress with a matching three-quarter sleeves chiffon overcoat by Norman Hartnell and a hat by Simone Mirman. In 2016, The Queen's ensemble was on display during the exhibition "Fashioning a Reign" to celebrate her 90th birthday.^[6]

Attendants[]

The bridegroom's best man was The Hon. Peregrine Fairfax, second son of The 12th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Princess Alexandra was attended by five bridesmaids and two page boys, they were:^[7][8]

• The Princess Anne, the bride's paternal first cousin, once removed
• Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, granddaughter of Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed
• The Hon. Doune Ogilvy, daughter of Lord Ogilvy, the bridegroom's niece
• Miss Georgina Butter, granddaughter of Countess Anastasia Mikhailovna de Torby, the bride's goddaughter
• Miss Emma Tennant, daughter of Iain Tennant and Lady Margaret Ogilvy, the bridegroom's niece
• The Hon. David Ogilvy, son of Lord Ogilvy, the bridegroom's nephew
• Master Simon Hay, son of the courtiers, Sir Alan Hay and Lady Margaret Seymour.

Guests[]

Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogvily were married in front of a congregation of 2000 guests. Notable guests in attendance included:^{[9][verification needed]}

Relatives of the bride[]

British royal family[]

• Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, the bride's mother
  • The Duke and Duchess of Kent, the bride's brother and sister-in-law
  • Prince Michael of Kent, the bride's brother
• The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, the bride's paternal first cousin and her husband, the bride's maternal first cousin once removed
  • The Prince of Wales, the bride's paternal first cousin once removed
  • The Princess Anne, the bride's paternal first cousin once removed
• Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the bride's paternal aunt by marriage
  • The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and The Earl of Snowdon, the bride's paternal first cousin and her husband
• The Princess Royal, the bride's paternal aunt
  • The Earl and Countess of Harewood, the bride's paternal first cousin and his wife
    • Viscount Lascelles, the bride's paternal first cousin once removed
• The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the bride's paternal uncle and aunt
  • Prince William of Gloucester, the bride's paternal first cousin
  • Prince Richard of Gloucester, the bride's paternal first cousin
• Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the bride's paternal first cousin twice removed and great-aunt by marriage
• The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the bride's paternal second cousin once removed

Relatives of the groom[]

Ogilvy family[]

• The Earl and Countess of Airlie, the groom's parents
  • The Lady and Lord Lloyd, the groom's sister and brother-in-law
  • Lady Margaret and Iain Tennant, the groom's sister and brother-in-law
    • Miss Emma Tennant, the bridegroom's niece
  • Lady Griselda and Major Peter Balfour, the groom's sister and brother-in-law
  • Lord and Lady Ogilvy, the groom's brother and sister-in-law
    • The Hon. Doune Ogvily, the groom's niece
    • The Hon. David Ogilvy, the groom's nephew
  • The Hon. James and Mrs Ogilvy, the groom's brother and sister-in-law

Other royal guests[]

• The Queen of Denmark, the bride's paternal second cousin, once removed
  • Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, the bride's paternal and maternal third cousin
• The Queen of the Hellenes, the bride's maternal and paternal second cousin, once removed, and wife of her first cousin, once removed
  • The Crown Prince of Greece, the bride's maternal second cousin
  • Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, the bride's maternal second cousin
• Princess Irene of the Netherlands, the bride's maternal second cousin, once removed
• Princess Margriet of the Netherlands the bride's maternal second cousin, once removed
• The King of Norway, the bride's paternal first cousin, once removed
  • The Crown Prince of Norway, the bride's paternal second cousin
• The Queen of Sweden, the bride's paternal second cousin, once removed
  • Princess Margaretha of Sweden, the bride's paternal third cousin
  • Princess Désirée of Sweden, the bride's paternal third cousin
• King Umberto II of Italy
• The Margrave and Margravine of Baden, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed, and her husband
  • Prince Ludwig of Baden, the bride's maternal second cousin
• Prince and Princess George William of Hanover, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed, and her husband
  • Princess Clarissa of Hesse, the bride's maternal second cousin
• The Prince and Princess of Hesse and by Rhine, the bride's paternal second cousin, once removed, and his wife
• The Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed
  • Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the bride's maternal second cousin
  • Prince Rupprecht of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the bride's maternal second cousin
• The Duchess of Aosta, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed
• Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, the bride's paternal first cousin, twice removed
  • The Prince and Princess of Asturias, the bride's paternal third cousin and his wife, the bride's maternal second cousin
• Queen Mother Helen of Romania, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed
• Princess and Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, the bride's maternal aunt and uncle
  • Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, the bride's maternal first cousin

Other notable guests[]

• The Prime Minister and Lady Dorothy Macmillan
• The Deputy Prime Minister and Mrs Butler
• The Colonial Secretary and Mrs Sandys
• The Earl and Countess of Home, the Foreign Secretary and his wife
• The Earl and Countess Attlee, a former Prime Minister and his wife
• The Earl and Countess of Avon, a former Prime Minister and his wife
• Lady Churchill, wife of former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill
• The Lord and Lady Fisher of Lambeth, a former Archbishop of Canterbury and his wife

Aftermath[]

After the ceremony, Alexandra and Angus left the Abbey in the glass coach for the reception at St James's Palace. The couple honeymooned on the Balmoral estate. They had two children, James (born 1964) and Marina (born 1966). They remained married until Ogilvy's death on 26 December 2004 at the age of 76.

References[]

External links[]

• Order of Service for the wedding